Important information to know about drunk driving

On behalf of Arthur Aidala of Aidala Bertuna & Kamins posted in Blog on Sunday August 27, 2017.

The state of New York has strict drunk driving laws in place. Throughout the city, police are, at all times, on the lookout for drivers who may be violating these laws.

This article will review some basic information that all drivers need to keep in mind regarding drunk driving. Let’s say you drive to a party and drink an alcoholic beverage this weekend with some friends or family, consider the information in this article before getting behind the wheel.

Factors that may affect whether you’re too drunk to drive

Some people can drink one beer and legally drive immediately afterward. Other people cannot due to the nature of their biology. Let’s look at some of the factors that could influence your level of impairment after drinking:

How much alcohol you drank.

How much food you consumed while drinking and/or before drinking alcohol.

How long you were drinking. Did you spread the drinks out across several hours, has it been some hours since your last drink, or did you drink several drinks all at once?

How much you weigh. Heavier people can often drink more alcohol without being affected.

Your gender. In some cases, the biology of men can tolerate more alcohol than the biology of women.

Is there a way to quickly get sober enough to drive?

If you’ve been drinking, it doesn’t matter what you do. Sobering up takes time. All you can do is wait for your biological system to absorb, process and break down the alcohol in your blood stream. This takes approximately one hour for every drink for most people.

Remember: Everyone’s biology is different. Even a night’s sleep may not be enough time for you to be sober enough to drive after a long night of drinking in some cases.

What kind of crimes involve alcohol and driving in New York?

There is a wide array of crimes that involve alcohol, drugs and driving in the state of New York. You may get accused of one of these crimes depending on the facts and circumstances surrounding your arrest:

Driving While Intoxicated (DWI)

Aggravated Driving While Intoxicated (Aggravated DWI)

Driving While Ability Impaired by Alcohol (DWAI/Alcohol)

Driving While Ability Impaired by a Single Drug other than Alcohol (DWAI/Drug)

Chemical Test Refusal

Zero Tolerance Law (for allegedly drunk drivers under 21 years of age)

The potential allegations that drivers could face above come with different maximum and minimum punishments. The factual requirements for conviction related to these intoxicated driving offenses are also different and will dictate the nature of the defenses accused persons may wish to employ during their criminal court proceedings.